F  L  A  U  N  T

 Photographed by [Nick Green](https://www.instagram.com/nickgrreen/). In the last days of Electro I had been scurrying around town when I met Jonny Makeup at LAX, a Sunday night hotspot which presented the most idiosyncratic crowd fusing electro, hip-hop, and the overall queer crew of club kids, an experience highlighted by hipster kegs on the dance floor. Flash forward nearly 12 years later and the Jeremy Scott dripped Jonny has grown up, still decked out in Moschino, now as half of Gallery @ along with his business partner and partner in life Christopher Schwartz. Schwartz’ spent his time int the 2010’s honing his curatorial duties with a host of NYC Galleries ending with a director position at Reena Spaulings Fine Art. He would later move to LA in 2017 where he placed together several lauded experimental group shows before meeting Jonny. Together they have focused on bringing a vast experience to conceptual shows which present and decorate their artists highlighting lately the theme of intimacy. In the last 2 years The Gallery @ has grown to obtain a certain cachet in is expansive ways of working with the creative community, providing a platform for young artists to present their first solo shows and bringing into focus overlooked artists who have been creating strong works in the last decade. With their forthcoming group exhibition, _Comedy of Erros_ organized by Fiona Alison Duncan. The collection of works will explore both errors and eros and the messiness of their interrelatedness, spanning a broad spectrum of entanglements, from economic to sensuous to linguistic. The overall tone is empathetic and humorous, offering a coping mechanism and cathartic release. Leading up to the show's opening, whenever that may be, Duncan will be offering a series of home-bound think tanks. We caught up with the duo to chat about collaborations, curation, and charity.  Photographed by [Nick Green](https://www.instagram.com/nickgrreen/). **How are you adapting to the art market to fit a current conditions?** We are fortunate because our gallery model up until now has been to collaborate with businesses to find available sites and resources for making exhibitions. For the past year we've been hosted by El Centro Apartments in Hollywood who have been really supportive of our vision. We keep overhead costs low and are able to put sales profits right back into the exhibitions. Because of that, most things for us are on pause until it feels appropriate to get back to work, and in the meantime, we've kept in touch with some of our clients to keep them informed about upcoming projects.  **Do you feel like there is a social responsibility to incorporate works that speak to current situations?** Because art can operate outside of mainstream systems, I don’t know if it bears any specific responsibility to take on social issues. I think that's one of the things that makes it so powerful. That being said, many of the artists we work with are engaged and involved in social issues; their practices often respond to current climates in some way. Right now we're seeing a lot of artists organize via social media or video to talk about what's going on and how to cope and help out. Fiona Alison Duncan, curator of the next exhibition at the gallery, has been co-organizing a series of ‘think tanks’ along with artist Mara McKevitt. The first one brought together actor Hari Nef, artist Dozie Kanu, writer Sarah Nicole Prickett and a few others to talk about rent strikes, wages for housework, and gendered technology. **What have you been exploring in art practices and themes in regards to the Contemporary market?** Our past year of exhibitions at El Centro was organized thematically so each of the shows tied back into the central theme of intimacy. At the start of the year, beginning with the debut of Amalia Ulman's short film in May 2019, we posed questions to the artists and viewers that felt important: Do certain experiences facilitate intimacy? How is intimacy communicated? What types of relationships rely on intimacy? It's interesting to look back on how each of the artists responded and the current relevancy of those ideas, especially in this period where physical contact is prohibited and most of us are spending a lot more time online. **How did you guys end up meeting first, was it through art?** Christopher: I actually remember seeing Jonny first at a club in 2007 or 2008 when I went to UCLA as an undergrad for a year. I think it was at Akbar, which was totally packed, and I remember seeing Jonny in the middle of the bar, totally working the room with all eyes on him. He seemed really boisterous and fun. Fast forward to when I moved back to L.A. in 2017 and bumped into him at a café. The rest is history. Jonny: I don’t remember that night he’s talking about. I was in a sober blackout most of the early aughts. When we met by happenstance, he was so sweet and approachable. I actually couldn’t believe he was involved in the art world, because in my experience, most of the art-folk I met seemed uptight and way too serious. Getting to know Christopher really changed my tune about that, and I think now I’m excited to be in dialogue with artists and also help run the business side of things.  Photographed by [Nick Green](https://www.instagram.com/nickgrreen/). **What was your background in art and how did you find a balance between working with each other?** Christopher: I actually didn't study art in college. I got into art because my cousin Erik Parker, who's a painter in New York, used to take me to all the cool art openings when I visited as a teen. That left a huge impression on me and when I moved to New York I was fortunate to land a job at Metro Pictures right away. It's been really interesting bringing Jonny into this part of my life because he has a whole different perspective on things. Jonny: My background was always in hijinx, nightlife, retail, and creative marketing. I never thought there was a place for me in fine art. Fate has a funny way of taking you exactly where you’re supposed to be. I’m a shop-girl at heart so I always bring fun into the gallery. I try to keep in mind that it’s important to not take things too seriously, achieving some kind of balance is the key. **You work with a lot of outsider creatives who normally would not have a strong position presenting work, how do you see this expression and the type of exposure moving them forward?** We've been lucky to work with Exceptional Children's Foundation on a couple of projects, including a mall pop-up organized by Alake Shilling and Peggy Noland, and recently we showed one of their artists Mark Williams alongside Zoé Blue M. in January. Their Art Centers have been around for over 50 years and support adults with developmental disabilities by providing studios, mentors and community. So many of their artists are making brilliant work that’s exciting to share with our audience. Later this year we're planning an exhibition with Clifford Prince King, who's a talented young photographer based in Los Angeles. He didn't graduate from an art school and instead taught himself through curiosity and experimentation. I find his works so moving and exceptional. He's able to reveal a sincerity and vulnerability in his subjects, and through that he challenges popular notions of the queer black experience. My hope is that we continue to grow and develop alongside our artists. **Where do you see the Gallery @  growing is there subdivisions in the way you curate or is there an overall arching element to both of the spaces?** Christopher: The Gallery @ got its start when Michael's restaurant in Santa Monica extended an offer to curate a show in their upstairs private dining area. I thought this would be a fun way to experiment with site-responsive curating because at the time I wasn't working for a gallery. I invited some friends and other artists I admire to be in the first show, including Luchita Hurtado, Jill Mulleady and Mathias Poledna. This led to a full two years of curating shows there and then some abroad as well.  I didn't have much money at the time to put towards these first shows, so I was able to find support from the host institutions and other galleries and nonprofits interested in the project. I think we'll be ready to settle in a permanent location soon and work consistently with a small group of artists. I've been hesitant to commit to a traditional gallery model because I needed a break after working in that world and I wasn't sure if it was still relevant. Now that we've built an identity for the gallery and a consistent audience and group of supporters, it feels like we're ready to try this out and grow into something more stable. **How do you decide on the type of artist to collaborate with and give your push of approval?** Christopher: Usually there's an artist or idea I'm really excited about, and then I share the information with Jonny. If he's excited too, then that's a green light to proceed. I try to be conscious of working with artists from different generations, backgrounds and practices, so there's a diversity in what we present. The whole process tends to happen organically, and we try to leave a lot of space for additional projects that come into the picture last minute. Those endeavors tend to be really exciting and fruitful. Jonny: I like that there aren’t any rules or restrictions on who we can work with. I find I’m often interested in artists who don’t necessarily check all the boxes of desirability (grad school, lengthy CVs, institutional support) and are still making amazing work. I find a lot of inspiration in the early aughts pre-Instagram era that I came up in. We’re working on a solo show by Cody Critcheloe whose background is mostly in music, performing as SSION, and art direction, but he also happens to be an incredible painter who hasn’t shown his work for some time. It’s also been my dream to show the works of Paris Hilton. She used to make these Sharpie drawings of cute animals that I’ve always loved.